"I take responsibility"

[Chaerophon]

Your implication would appear to be that FEMA could not have done its job any better, given the circumstances. I'd like to know how you defend that proposition - I suspect that it will require some pretty impressive dance moves.

If Brown is, indeed, being scapegoated, then you will have to explain this to me: why would the Bush camp erect as a scapegoat someone who a.) is clearly not the most qualified candidate for the job and b.) was directly appointed by Bush. Seems to me that this draws a line of responsibility directly back to the man in the oval office, and the only possible answer is that Brown was so far over his head that someone else had to take over. What possible political strategy would lead the White House to make this move?

There are hurricanes in Florida every year: the resources and contingency plans for dealing with such disasters are already established and in place. New Orleans called for some innovation, some footwork, and the response was a complete and utter failure on the part of FEMA.

Your comparison of the two, and your judgement that Brown's appointment is somehow justifiable on the basis of his handling of the Florida hurricanes requires some defense - his suitability is certainly not self-apparent on the basis of his resume and the fact that he handled the Florida cases is not definitive proof of the appropriateness of his appointment. Given that Brown's successor is a FAR more qualified candidate who could quite easily have been given the job in the first place, I really am curious: what is it that would drive the Bush camp to replace Brown if not the absolute need to do so?

The act of replacing him, whether or not it is due to media pressure is as much as an admission of guilt on Bush's part. I firmly believe that the ONLY reason that Bush would replace Brown is due to the fact that he really is incapable of handling the situation, as an admission of guilt on that front is as much as to admit that he has neglected his duty as president of the United States, as per my post above. In other words, he had to be forced by Brown's incompetence into replacing him - from a public relations perspective, replacing Brown is the last thing that Bush would ever want to do, as it amounts to self-incrimination on a scale that is, to my mind, worthy of significant punishment.